COVIDtown Crier: April 08, 2020

Having a ball

The Orange Peel will soon offer a “Stay Out of My Bubble” series of concerts. With a special dispensation from the Buncombe County Health Department, the Peel will provide personal plastic spheres to each attendee, with a maximum capacity of 42 people.

“The added benefit of the hamster balls is that there is none of that awkward personal contact with strangers that happens so often at concerts,” says project manager Stacy Zemumm, “However, we are still working out some wrinkles. In beta-testing we had participants get overturned and bounce out the door. We had to recover one guy all the way down the hill at Sovereign Kava.”

The venue is adding a decontamination chamber in the basement of the building for donning, doffing and sanitizing the spheres.

A series of tubes being installed around the venue offer cardio for concertgoers, churning up to the main floor and along the walls and ceilings to move about freely. “Bubble boys and girls can even get access to the restroom through the tubes,” adds Zemumm. “But once you get there, you’re on your own.”

The force is strong with R2-DUI

Asheville-area breweries’ home delivery services hit a snag yesterday when a beer delivery drone was taken into custody for operating while intoxicated.

On Thursday evening, an airborne device, from a brewery that will not be named, was navigating down Haywood Road, box of canned beverages in claw. It was on descent and nearing its destination when, according to police reports, it “began swerving out of its lane, knocking into multiple mailboxes and scraping vehicles.” As officers pursued, the drone reached its landing-zone with a spectacular crash through a flower bed, sending the family cat sprinting, and skidded to a stop at the front door.

“I guess it’s technically an FUI,” says Asheville Police Department officer Carl Winslow III, who made the historic arrest. “I’m also tickled to report that the beer arrived undamaged and that the customers were wise enough to wait a few minutes before opening their cans. That’s the real miracle here.”

The pilot of the drone, Chesley “Glummy” Glumsandwich, has not been formally charged, but sources close to him have claimed that on the evening in question he was “ranting on Twitter about The Lighthouse being the greatest movie of all time” and “posting elaborate tea party tableaus on Instagram, starring his pet hamsters.”

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.